GLAAD survey: Gay characters fewer on TV, but more visible

September 28, 2011

The number of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trasgender characters on scripted TV shows in prime time is likely going to dip for the first time in four years, gay advocacy group GLAAD has found, but some of TV's most-watched shows (“The Good Wife,” “Modern Family”) continue to incorporate gay characters into their story lines.

This marks the 16th year GLAAD has surveyed the prime-time TV landscape, and though the numbers aren't as high as last year, the group says the percentage of gay characters who are series regulars appearing during the 2011-2012 TV season is still much higher than 2007's figure of 1.1 percent. The findings:

NETWORKS: Out of 647 series regulars on 91 shows in prime time on ABC, CBS, The CW, Fox and NBC, 19 are LGBT, down from 23 last year.

CABLE: The number of regular LGBT characters counted on cable networks is 28 this year, down from 35 last year.